Unit 1: A Long Time Ago and the Industrial Revolution Vocabulary

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering historical periods, technical inventions, and mining terminology from Unit 1 and Topic 2.

Circle

A round geometric shape or ring.

Roman

Relating to ancient Rome; the Romans built Hadrian's Wall and governed an empire in $122$.

Empire

A major political unit or realm (Reich or Kaiserreich), such as the one possessed by the Romans in $122$.

Viking

Seafaring warriors from northern Europe whose large armies invaded locations such as York.

Age

A distinct historical era or period of time (Zeitalter), such as an age of technology or the ice age.

Norman

A person from Normandy, France; the Normans invaded and came to Britain in $1066$.

To found

To establish or build the base of something (principal parts: to found, founded, founded), such as the towns founded by the Romans.

Industrial Revolution

A transformative period of manufacturing and industrial expansion that took place from $1780$ to $1840$.

Industry

Economic activity concerned with the manufacturing of goods and processing of materials in factories.

Tonne

A unit of mass equal to $1000\,\text{kg}$.

Ice age

A geological period of cold climate characterized by low temperatures and the spread of glaciers.

Ice

Frozen water that forms when temperatures become very cold.

To melt

To transition from a solid state to a liquid state, such as ice turning into water.

BC

Abbreviation for 'before Christ' (vor Christus); represents calendar years prior to the Christian era.

Celt

A member of an ancient European civilization; Roman fortifications were constructed to keep them out.

To invade

To enter a region or country forcefully with an army, as when the Vikings invaded York.

Fort

A fortified, defensive military structure or stronghold built to keep adversaries out.

AD

Abbreviation for Anno Domini ('in the year of the Lord' / nach Christus), designating years after the birth of Christ (e.g., $1100\,\text{AD}$).

Anglo-Saxon

The inhabitants who lived in England at the time of the Norman invasion.

Tool

An instrument or implement used to carry out a particular function; early tools were made of stone, while many modern tools are made of metal.

Steam engine

A machine powered by steam that produces energy; its modern form was invented in $1770$.

Microscope

An optical instrument used for viewing very small or tiny objects that cannot be seen clearly with the naked eye.

Half a million

A quantity representing the numerical value $500{,}000$.

Coal

A combustible black mineral extracted from mines and burned as a source of fuel and energy.

Mine

An excavation in the earth from which coal, metallic ores, or other minerals are extracted.

Factory

An industrial building or complex where goods, such as automobiles, are manufactured and produced.

To get on somebody's nerves

An idiomatic expression meaning to annoy, irritate, or exasperate someone.

Railway

A track formed of steel rails along which passenger and freight trains run.

Miner

A worker who extracts coal or other minerals inside an underground mine.

Canary

A small yellow bird historically kept in a cage in underground tunnels to detect hazardous conditions.

Gas

An invisible substance in coal mines that can make breathing impossible and will explode if ignited by fire.

Deadly

Capable of causing death, or used to express complete and absolute stillness (e.g., deadly quiet).

Silence

The complete absence of sound or noise.

Cage

A structure of bars or wires in which animals or birds, such as canaries, are confined.

To get fired

An idiomatic phrase meaning to be dismissed from one's job or lose employment.

Alive

Having life; the opposite of dead.